1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ceramic armor and, more particularly, to a single ceramic armor for protecting against multiple small arms bullets.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ceramic armor is typically used for body armor and for the outer coverings of different types of vehicles, such as various types of land vehicles, ships, and aircraft. Typically, ceramic tiles are adhesively secured to a substrate then encapsulated in an outer cover. The armor system is then attached to a vehicle by a variety of means or merely placed in a fabric pocket, as in the case of body armor.
An inherent problem is the prior art is that ceramic armor is configured for a fixed level of protection against a singular ballistic threat.
The apparatus of the present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art by providing a single arrangement of ceramic and substrate to provide protection against a variety of bullets. The appropriate ceramic and substrate arrangement provides protection against both lead-filled and steel-filled bullets with calibers of 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm, which are the common calibers used by military and civilian rifles.
The apparatus may be used with or without a supplementary armor system such as a body armor vest or the outer skin of a vehicle. Stealth and other features, such as durability, drop protection, field abuse, spall mitigation, etc., may also be included in the apparatus.
The ceramic armor apparatus of the present invention described and claimed herein comprises a ceramic facing element bonded to an aramid fiber composite substrate. The ceramic armor apparatus of the present invention provides protection against a 5.56 mm M193 bullet, a 5.56 mm M855 bullet, a 5.56 mm SS109 bullet, a Ace 7.62 mm M80 bullet, a 7.62 mm LPS bullet, and a 7.62 mm PS bullet either alone or in any combination thereof. The ceramic facing element may consist of a plurality of elements, such as tiles, or may be a singular ceramic plate that is either flat or molded to the desired shape. The aramid fiber composite substrate is comprised of a plurality of layers of aramid fibers arranged in either fabric or unidirectional tape structures. The aramid fiber composite substrate layers are stacked to achieve the desired thickness and protection, and are laminated using a variety of polymer compounds to create a singular element. The aramid fiber composite substrate is arranged to be generally parallel to the ceramic facing element such that the shape of the aramid fiber composite substrate mirrors that of the ceramic facing element.
Among the objects of the following invention are the following:
To provide a new and useful means of protecting against ballistic attack;
To provide a new and useful means of arranging ceramic tile armor elements disposed on a substrate;
To provide a new and useful means of arranging a composite armor substrate in conjunction with a ceramic facing;
To provide a new and useful ceramic armor system for protection against multiple ballistic threats,
To provide a new and useful means of minimizing the weight of a ceramic armor system for ballistic protection; and
To provide a new and useful means of creating a supplementary armor plate for use in conjunction with an existing armor system.